Morphological observation of immunological alterations in the spleens from estrogen receptor deficient mice.

AIM: To evaluate some immunological parameters in the spleens from estrogen receptor(ER) deficient mice. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analysis were used in the study. RESULTS: Multiple alterations were found in the spleens of ER deficient mice, especially in ERbeta deficient mice, such as increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase, elevated number of proliferating splenocytes and increased IgM/IgG production. Moreover, The splenocytes lack of ERbeta were resistant towards estrogen's suppression on proliferation. The activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB in ERbeta deficient spleens may account for the above hyperactivity. CONCLUSION: ER, especially ERbeta, plays a key role in mediating the modulation of immune response by estrogen. ERbeta disruption may increase the sensibility towards autoimmune diseases.